Apocalypse: I Built the Infinite Train-Chapter 232: Dark Shadow

"Big Luo, KIKI, you two go together to the 7th floor and bring that Comprehensive Life-Support Surgical Pod back to the train first. Also, call a few more people on your way down," Lin Xian instructed.

He glanced out the window at the vast research hall filled with numerous abandoned research devices and immediately said, "Before the water rises, let's loot this research facility thoroughly. I see plenty of employee rest areas and offices here— even everyday supplies shouldn't be overlooked. Opportunities like this won't come often."

"Mm." Shu Qin nodded in agreement. "You're right. Now that Abyss Zone No. 5 and No. 7 are spreading, no matter which route we take next, we're heading straight toward the abyss. The faster we move, the sooner night will fall. Just this afternoon, many survivors reported through the radio that the east, the northern route, and the Parma Grasslands have already been hit by blizzards. Several extreme cold vortexes are approaching us, and Abyss Zone No. 3 isn't far either."

Ding Junyi was busy sifting through papers scattered across Hua Xiaoling’s office, searching for useful information. Without looking up, she said, "Extreme cold vortexes are forming because the moisture from Shijiu Lake in the Yunjiang Plains and the southeastern ocean is being swept into the tides of Abyss Zone No. 8 and No. 4. The resulting blizzards will be unprecedented. The Federation had already assessed this as a major natural disaster, and it seems their prediction was spot on."

Lin Xian's face darkened at her words. "Exactly. Hengshan Pass is already getting colder. Once we leave this station, we’ll have to charge through the encirclement of Abyss Zone No. 5 and No. 7 in one go. There won’t be many chances to scavenge or restock supplies on the way. If we have the opportunity now, we better take it."

KIKI shrugged, her big eyes blinking in confusion. "I could carry that thing out by myself. Why are you sending the big guy with me?"

Lin Xian gave her a speechless look. "That thing is precious. If you run into trouble on the way, you need backup. Otherwise, I'll have to use you as a sandbag to smash zombies. Where am I supposed to find another one of these if you break it?"

KIKI stuck out her tongue, realizing that was something she would actually do.

"Alright, Brother Xian, we're heading out first." Big Luo nodded, never questioning Lin Xian’s orders.

"Be careful. Once I get back, I'll bring more people over and clear this place out!" KIKI called out before heading toward the 7th floor with Big Luo.

Lin Xian glanced at Director Ding, who was still busy searching through documents, then turned to Shu Qin and said, "Let’s go. This floor is about to flood. We'll do a quick sweep, grab what we can, and work our way upwards. I bet there are still useful weapons in the armory on the 5th floor."

"Mm." Shu Qin nodded, pulling out her Remington M96 as the three of them moved toward the research hall at the end of the corridor.

Before they even stepped onto the stairs, the roaring sound of rushing water echoed through the facility, and many of the lights flickered due to short circuits.

By the time they descended, the lower corridors were already flooded, with water deep enough to cover their feet. The icy chill instantly seeped into their bones.

Whoosh— A deep, muffled gust of wind howled through the passageways.

"The water has already reached this floor," Shu Qin observed.

Lin Xian frowned and immediately abandoned the idea of searching further. "Forget it. Let's head up to the 8th floor."

Safety came first. While the research hall had plenty of devices he could devour, extracting them would take too much time, and the entire research facility was flooding. It wasn't worth the risk.

Lin Xian had considered ordering a salvage operation, but in this situation, the priority was moving essential supplies, not feeding his Mechanical Devour ability.

Besides, he could always return later at night to the Dragon-Class Transport Ship and devour its Night Star-2 Nuclear Turbine Processor, which was a safer bet.

"Wait a second," Ding Junyi pointed at a floor layout map on the wall. "The Information Archive Room is just ahead. I think we should check it out. This research facility contains a lot of inexplicable things. If we can find valuable intel, it’ll definitely be beneficial."

Lin Xian looked at her, contemplating for a moment before nodding. "Alright, it’s not far."

Without hesitation, the three of them waded through the flooded corridor, heading toward the Information Archive Room.

Since the 9th-floor ceilings were almost triple standard height, classified research divisions and data archives were isolated in separate sections. As soon as they rounded the corner, they found themselves in a vast corridor filled with shallow, rippling water.

Splash, splash, splash— The eerie sound of their footsteps echoed down the hallway.

Soon, they passed into another section of the 9th floor, climbed a set of stairs, and arrived at a previously sealed corridor.

This section wasn't flooded. At the end of the corridor stood a yellow security door equipped with a keycard system and biometric scanners.

"This must be the Information Archive Room."

Lin Xian didn't have high hopes. The internal network had already been migrated, so top-secret data wouldn’t have been left in paper form. However, since they were already here, he figured it was worth checking.

He was already highly suspicious that this afternoon’s "Marked Decoy" incident was orchestrated by the Foundation—which also happened to rival the Federation and Phoenix in many research fields.

But what he couldn’t figure out was why the Foundation would deliberately leave behind a Phoenix insignia.

Shu Qin examined the layout. "There’s a stairwell here. We can take it directly up to the 8th floor instead of backtracking."

Lin Xian nodded and placed his hand on the door lock, activating Mechanical Heart. Within moments, the complex security mechanisms disengaged.

Creak— As the door swung open, rows of overhead lights flickered to life, illuminating neatly arranged information cabinets.

However, instead of documents, the cabinets had previously housed data servers, which were now completely missing. Only a single terminal server remained, still running the facility’s basic infrastructure.

Lin Xian sighed. "As expected. Looks like they had plenty of time to evacuate. They weren’t fleeing in panic."

Shu Qin nodded. "Nothing critical was left behind, and there are no signs of an attack. It was an organized retreat. I bet if there were any incidents, they only happened in the flooded lower levels."

"Or in their test sites," Lin Xian added.

Meanwhile, Ding Junyi didn’t say a word. Instead, she strode straight to the control terminal and began typing rapidly.

The source of this c𝓸ntent is frёeweɓηovel.coɱ.

"Large organizations follow strict emergency protocols. Evacuation measures for fires, biothreats, air raids, etc., must provide saturation-level notifications across internal comms, email, area broadcasts, lights, and personnel transport links.

So even though their main system was removed, the basic infrastructure still holds these logs."

As she finished speaking, her fingers danced across the keyboard one last time.

Beep. A red system log popped up on the screen.

Just as she predicted—there was an evacuation order on record.

Lin Xian’s expression sharpened.

【EMERGENCY EVACUATION (LEVEL 5)】

【16:15】

"16:15??"

Lin Xian's pupils contracted.

"What's wrong, Lin?" Shu Qin asked.

Lin Xian's voice was icy cold. "That was the exact time KIKI and I had just left this research facility."

Ding Junyi looked puzzled. "Did something happen while you were here?"

Lin Xian’s expression darkened. "I’ll explain later. Let’s move."

Just as he turned away—

Creak— A faint metallic noise echoed from the server room.

Lin Xian and Shu Qin instantly raised their weapons, eyes locking onto the same darkened passageway ahead…

Shu Qin immediately stepped forward. “Lin, I’ll check it out.”

Lin Xian raised a hand to stop her, then made a quick hand signal. Stay behind Ding Junyi. He and Shu Qin instinctively shifted into a protective formation, keeping Ding Junyi between them.

He drew his Black Rifle, then gestured midair—a split second later, an automatic rifle materialized in his grip, constructed in an instant through Mechanical Devour.

Moving cautiously, he stepped into the narrow server aisle, his gaze locked onto the source of the sound.

Creak.

Another faint noise—even clearer this time. Lin Xian narrowed his eyes, slowing his breathing as he approached the dimly lit power distribution room.

As he reached the door, he carefully pushed it open.

At first, there was only darkness. But then—

A shadow.

A strange, black silhouette stood in the corner of the server room.

Its head was adorned with two twisted, horn-like protrusions. Its body was covered in black tendrils, giving it an eerie, inhuman appearance.

Lin Xian’s pupils shrank.

No hesitation.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

He fired instantly, unleashing a stream of bullets straight into the figure.

The rounds struck—but instead of flesh and blood, chunks of dry, brittle material snapped off the creature’s body, scattering like splintered wood.

And then—it moved.

With an unsettling, inhuman grace, the shadow lunged sideways, its long, clawed limbs scraping against the floor as it darted toward the hallway.

Lin Xian’s expression flickered.

A retreating Eerie Entity?

Strange.

The creatures he had encountered before never ran. They always attacked head-on.

But this one—was trying to flee.

That thought barely lasted a second.

His instincts screamed: Don’t let it escape.

The power armor surged with energy as his legs exploded forward, launching him into a full-speed pursuit.

If a creature like this was backing off, it meant it was weaker than him. And if he could kill it now, he had to.

Because he knew the Dark Mark existed. He wasn’t about to let this thing mark him or his team.

BOOM!

Lin Xian launched off the wall, using its surface as a springboard to slingshot himself forward.

The creature had just rounded a corner—straight into a dead end.

Except—

It wasn’t running anymore.

It was climbing.

The black tendrils covering its body were shrinking, its form collapsing inward, as if it were squeezing itself into—

A tiny ventilation duct.

Lin Xian’s eyes flashed.

Not happening.

He hurled his Black Rifle with all his strength, activating its flight controls—

WHOOSH!

The rifle accelerated mid-air, boosted by its built-in propulsion engine, and slammed straight into the creature’s side!

CRACK!

A spray of splinters and dark shards burst from the impact.

The creature hissed—a sound like a croaking toad mixed with static interference—but in the next instant, its clawed fingers latched onto the edges of the duct, and with a sickening squelch, it compressed itself further and vanished inside.

SCREECH!

The sound of its claws scraping metal faded into the distance.

Lin Xian rushed forward, retrieving his Black Rifle, then glanced at the duct opening.

It was tiny. No bigger than a handspan.

That thing had shrunk itself and slithered through like an octopus squeezing into a bottle.

Fck.

"Lin?" Shu Qin’s voice came from behind. She had positioned herself at the entrance, still protecting Ding Junyi.

Lin Xian exhaled sharply. “It got away.”

He flipped the Black Rifle in his hand, inspecting the barrel. Some kind of black residue clung to the metal.

Wet?

He frowned. The substance was slightly damp—

Waterborne?

His gaze darkened. “Be careful. That thing might’ve come from the water.”

As he turned back, he noticed Ding Junyi’s face.

She was flushed, chest rising and falling with rapid breaths, her eyes glinting with an unusual shine.

Lin Xian frowned. “What’s wrong with you?”

Ding Junyi barely spared him a glance. “Nothing. Don’t worry about me. This place is just… very dangerous.”

Lin Xian resisted the urge to facepalm.

She was saying “dangerous”, but why did she look like she was enjoying herself?

Shu Qin, on the other hand, looked genuinely confused.

Lin Xian sighed. “Whatever. Let’s move. Anywhere with water is a no-go. We’re heading up to the 8th floor.”

"Mm."

The three of them left the Information Archive Room, making their way down the hallway toward the exit.

But as they stepped outside, they came to a stunned halt.

They were standing in a massive mechanical workshop—a high-ceilinged industrial hangar.

Before them, a flooded hangar bay stretched across the room, its depths completely submerged.

At the far end, a staircase led up toward the next level.

But Shu Qin wasn’t looking at the stairs.

Her eyes widened in shock.

“Lin—look!!”

Lin Xian turned toward where she was pointing—

His expression changed instantly.

Beneath the dark, flooded hangar, the upper half of a massive combat mecha loomed above the waterline.

Its dark green armored frame was half-submerged, its core reactor dim, its colossal battle arms hanging limply over the surface.

Lin Xian recognized it instantly.

“T8-Z Vulcan Military Siege Mecha?!”